


Weiss Schnee Vs Coffeehouse: a multisystem RPG supplement

by Kiiratam



Series: The Non-Vytal Weekend [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, RPGs, Weiss suffers, but more in anticipation than actuality, not much between players, plenty of in-game-character flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22461103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiiratam/pseuds/Kiiratam
Summary: Ruby's back on Patch for the weekend, but Yang's got a new game she's been itching to try...Takes place a few days before the start of Volume 3. (My BMBLB fic index)
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Series: The Non-Vytal Weekend [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1586437
Comments: 14
Kudos: 46





	Weiss Schnee Vs Coffeehouse: a multisystem RPG supplement

"Remind me again why I agreed to this." Weiss opened the study room door for Yang, who had her arms full of loose papers and pastry boxes. " _Especially_ after this morning."

  
Yang grinned at her friend. "Come on, Weiss, Blake was at least as embarrassed as you were."

  
"Unlike you, who apparently had your sense of shame surgically removed." Weiss tried not to mentally linger on the events of this morning, because she _knew_ she'd start blushing again, and Yang would tease her _more_ about it, and then probably undo a few buttons of her blouse because she was 'hot' and - "Moving on."

  
"You've got lots of reasons. Velvet's bringing coffee for everyone, I've got delicious snacks, you can't practice all weekend," Yang set her armful of items down on the table in the study room, and started sorting through them. "And you secretly always wanted a cute coffeehouse romance."

  
Weiss really hadn't. But... Yang did have a point. They'd already had team practice, and paired practice (even if Ruby was still on Patch, so it was her and Yang instead), and individual practice... She didn't want to drive herself too hard, and not have any energy for the Vytal Tournament itself.

  
"Besides, you need the flirting practice."

  
"I do _not_!" How could Yang just _say_ things like that?

  
Yang snorted. "Yes you do. I saw you flirting with Neptune. If you can call it that."

  
Again, Weiss felt a blush creeping in. She grabbed the boxes of pastries, and laid them all out, making sure they were nicely aligned with the table edge.

  
But like Zwei with his rope, Yang just would not let it go. "At least you're better than Jaune."

  
Weiss would never forget that... performance. Horrid, _horrid_ , ear-gouging, brain-melting, Aura-ravaging - she could go on (and had), but she forced herself to riposte instead.

  
"At least I keep my clothes on."

  
Yang grinned at her. "Come on, don't tell me you haven't had the urge to just tear your top off. Boobs want to be free!"

  
_Don't look at them, don't look at them..._ Fixing her gaze on Yang's cowlick, Weiss said, "No thank you. Mine are quite happy where they are. Safe and secure." _Why did I have to say the last part?_

  
"See, this is why I show off so much. I have to pick up your slack." _That stupid, **stupid** grin. Ruby had it too, but she hadn't weaponized it._

  
Weiss decided to beat a retreat to safer ground. "So what are the rules for this game? Is it as complicated as F&F?"

  
"Nah, we're using really lightweight rules. It's only a page long." Yang started sorting her papers into six untidy stacks. "I don't think Velvet has played at all, and I didn't want you to feel like you needed to cram an entire book to play."

  
It always surprised Weiss how... considerate... Yang could be. Especially with how much she teased Weiss with puns and 'ice queen' cracks. And Blake. ...Even if Weiss was pretty sure they weren't doing it on purpose.

  
Leaving her messy piles, Yang opened one of the pastry boxes and dug around, pulling out a strawberry-topped croissant. As she scarfed it down, Weiss excavated the small stack of plates they'd borrowed from the kitchenette.

  
She'd also convinced herself that Yang and Blake weren't _actually_ in a relationship. Though at this point, Weiss wasn't really sure why they _weren't_. They worked well together - even without talking - they spent what little free-time they had together, and Weiss had **definitely** seen them sneaking looks at each other when changing.

  
After performing a brief inspection, Weiss selected a nice flaky croissant. She'd wait for Velvet and coffee before starting, though.

  
Ruby seemed oblivious to whatever was going on between her sister and Blake. But her leadership style wasn't exactly Atlas Standard, and she and Weiss had spent hours discussing Von Schliemann, and other luminaries of tactical thought. And Ruby was **convinced** that her 'BFF' method was superior to Atlas Standard.

  
Weiss looked up at Yang, who had claimed the chair by the blackboard, and was idly spinning in it. "Where should I sit?"

  
The aural effect as Yang spun around was entertaining, at least. "Anywhere you're comfortable." Weiss took the chair opposite Yang, back to the wall, and continued her ponderings.

  
The Vytal Festival was almost here. Weiss hoped Ruby was right. If only because Blake had seen the Von Schliemann text Weiss had gotten from the library, and gone off on a rant about how Von Schliemann was one of the main pillars of anti-Faunus prejudice.

  
Even if Von Schliemann could chain clauses together brilliantly, Weiss was trying to actually sit and **listen** to Blake. If she wanted to restore the Schnee name to prominence, she needed to understand how it had been dragged through the filth. It wouldn't be enough to just update the SDC Standards & Practices - though Weiss was writing a new version of those in her spare time - she needed to make reparations. Sometimes, in the middle of Blake's rants, Weiss found herself caught up by Blake's rhetoric, filled with a desire to Make The Schnees Pay. She was planning on it.

  
Occasionally, Blake cut off mid-rant - though whether it was because she found herself straying into Violent Extremist White Fang rhetoric, or because she remembered who Weiss was... It was a lot easier to hate an idea of a person than a person. But somehow, Weiss knew that her father would very easy for Blake to hate face-to-face.

  
"Here's your copy of the rules, Weiss." Yang offered her the few pages, a smile on her face, and a smudge of strawberry jam at the corner of her mouth.

  
"Thank you." Weiss took the sheets, "You missed a little bit right here." She indicated on her own face.

  
"Oh," Yang swiped at her mouth with her thumb. "Did I get it?"

  
"Other side. You got it." She looked down at the pages in her hands, reading away. The game seemed simple enough. Weiss heard the sound of chalk, and saw Yang writing out the dice mechanics in one corner of the board. It was very readable, but the letters themselves were a mish-mash of block script and cursive. And Weiss had found the origin of some of the peculiarities of Ruby's handwriting. It wasn't that Ruby had _bad_ handwriting, but it wasn't precisely... neat. And Ruby had asked Weiss to teach her 'the fancy stuff'. They'd been working on during partner-bonding exercises, something to occupy their hands while they talked tactics.

  
Weiss resisted the urge to check the time. Blake was usually on time. Sometimes, it was 'in the nick of time', but on time was on time. She didn't know about Velvet, or whoever else was playing.

  
"Yang, do you want me to make my character?"

  
She was spinning in her chair again, another pastry on a plate in front of her. "Nah, wait for everyone else. It's more fun as a group."

  
How many people were playing, anyway? Yang had six sets of rules, but maybe she brought extras. Weiss started re-reading the rules.

  
"Good, you got vanilla cupcakes."

  
Weiss jolted and tried not to stare at Blake. When had she come in?

  
After clustering three of the mini cupcakes on a plate, Blake took the seat next to Weiss. Where she could keep her eyes on the door and the window. Weiss _knew_ that's was why she was sitting there - Blake had been stressing exit awareness every time they had cross-training. It was just a bonus that they didn't have to look at each other, remembering the mutual embarrassment of the morning.

  
"They had a ton of frosting flavors, so-" Yang peered at Blake's plate. "-I think you've got double vanilla, wintergreen, and peppermint? Let me know what you think."

  
Blake started unwrapping one of them - from the reddish speckles in the frosting, Weiss thought it was the peppermint - and asked Yang, "Was this the patisserie-"

  
"-Jun and Char recommended? Yeah. It's cute." Yang snorted. "Even if getting everything here on Bumblebee was a trial."

  
Weiss actually noticed the door open this time (though if Blake had snuck in through the air vents, she wouldn't be surprised), and Velvet bustled in with a drink carrier filled with steaming, _wonderful_ coffee.

  
"Sorry I'm late! The cafe was packed with new people." She started passing out the ambrosia. "I think they had some trouble hearing me, so I don't think any of the names are right."

  
'Vice' took a sip, and forgave the barista.

  
Velvet held up a very large cup. "Where would you like this... thing?"

  
"The decaf? By the pastries is fine." Yang passed out rules to the new arrivals.

  
Shaking her head, Velvet set the decaf coffee down, and retreated to the chair between Yang and Blake, with her back to the window. "Coco was busy getting the Post-Vytal dance organized. But she said it sounded really interesting, and if you run another one of these, she wants in."

  
Weiss leaned forward. "You mean Coco is handling all the organization?" She exchanged glances with Yang. "By herself?"

  
"Just Coco and her espressos." Velvet quirked her ears. "Though I suppose she does have Fox delivering them."

  
Idly wondering if it was possible for Coco to caffinate herself into transcending space and time, Weiss took another sip, and picked up her croissant.

  
"Blake, Weiss, any questions about the rules?" Yang set her drink down, and Weiss wasn't sure if they'd actually mis-spelled her name as 'Tang', or if they just had wretched handwriting. "It's pretty simple compared to F&F."

  
Weiss shook her head, mouth full.

  
"There's not much there at all," 'Drake' said, reading and gesturing with her tea. "It's not like Orlando, where I had to rethink him to make him fit his class."

  
Yang nodded. "Yeah, this is on the far side of WereGrimm from F&F." She shuffled her papers. "I've honestly never played anything like this. But it looks like fun?"

  
"It does." And now Blake was looking down, and her and Yang weren't looking at each other - Weiss hoped the entire game wasn't going to be the two of them being shy at each other. Not that the two of them outrageously flirting would be significantly better. At least she had coffee. And the croissant was excellent; Weiss would have to ask Yang what the patisserie was called.

  
"Velvet?" Yang's voice was back to boisterous. "Any questions?"

  
"Ummm..." Velvet's eyes darted over the sheet she held. "I think it'll be easier to learn by doing."

  
"Let's get started, then." Emptying out a bag of regular dice in the middle of the table, Yang said, "Grab a few, everyone. Anyone have a character they want to see in a Coffee Shop?"

  
Taking a deep breath, Weiss said, "I... had one. But I want your opinions before I commit." She looked at Velvet, who just smiled a little and nodded. Weiss didn't know if Velvet knew that Blake was also a Faunus, so she'd have to watch her words. "She's a character from an opera. Papagena?" No one seemed to recognize the name. Weiss would have to take RWBY to the opera. ...If Vale even had an operahouse. They must. "She's part of a sort of mystical trial to-" No, she'd have to explain the whole opera. "The relevant part is that she's a parrot Faunus." _That_ got their attention.

  
"I mean, as long as you're doing it because you like the character..." Velvet glanced at Blake, then back to Weiss. 

  
Weiss nodded. "Of course! She's only in a few scenes, so a lot of her characterization is inferred, or derived from the performance, or costuming - she always has the best costume, and she's got a fun duet, and-" Weiss made herself stop. "I just want you to stop me if I do something offensive. Because that's not what I'm trying to do, because I do actually really like her." All of this was addressed to Velvet, but she also saw Blake nod.

  
"So, Papagena, what's your favorite beverage?" Yang was standing by the chalkboard. "...And how do you spell that?"

  
"P-A-P-A-G-E-N-A. And she seems like the sort of the person who would like a Vacuo Vanilla Iced Latte with sprinkles."

  
Blake giggled. "And that tells me so much about her."

  
"Doesn't it?" Velvet reached across the table and acquired an apple croissant.

  
Duly recording the information on the board, Yang asked, "And what's her artistic medium? What sort of art does she do?"

  
Putting a finger to her lips, Weiss thought. "I really want to say 'singing', because her duet is really good, but... she's also in disguise for one of her scenes, so I'm going to say she's into musical theatre and comic opera."

  
"And her number? Higher means she's better at COFFEE - not just making it, but also being productive and motivated - and lower means she's better at ART - being creative and spontaneous."

  
"I think Papagena is a very practical woman, and when she's inspired, she can make beautiful art - but I also think she's one of those people who _needs_ to be inspired to make art. So her number is 5." Weiss was writing all of this down for herself, on the extra paper Yang had provided.

  
"Okay, last question. What's her goal?"

  
Weiss could just take that directly from the opera. "Get married to someone she adores, and have lots of children."

  
Drawing three lines under 'BABIES', Yang looked over her shoulder. "Blake?"

  
"Um. I'm still trying to think of someone. Velvet, are you ready?"

  
Velvet had her scroll out. "Does it have to be, well, an actual character?"

  
Turning around, Yang leaned on the table. "What did you have in mind?"

  
"Well, after I watched all of you game, I was talking to Ruby about it, and she mentioned a game she thought I might like. X-Hairs?"

  
Yang nodded. "Yeah, it's almost a wargame. Ruby loves it because it goes really in-depth with weapons lists."

  
"Well, umm, she showed me where to find the quick start rules and-" And now Velvet was starting to turn red. These were going to be very blush-filled hours, apparently. "-Have you seen their mascot?" She showed her scroll to Yang.

  
"Oh! Yeah." And now Yang was infected with the blush. Velvet showed the image on her scroll to Blake and Weiss, and Weiss completely understood Yang's reaction.

  
The X-Hairs mascot was a rabbit Faunus, like Velvet, with the same incredibly soft-looking straight hair, but bright white. And her bandoleer was covering more than her clothes. And she had just an incredible look on her face, like she was having an _absolute blast_ leaping through the air, firing two handcannons at once.

  
Velvet broke the silence. "I just love her expression, and I don't know if she actually has a name anywhere, but can I play her?"

  
Nodding, Yang turned back to the chalkboard. "Sure. Do we just want to call her Cross?"

  
"I like the irony! Sure."

  
"Favorite drink?"

  
"Horrible, sludgy, black-as-tar coffee. The worse it is, the more she likes it."

  
"Medium?"

  
"I think she's over six foot, actually, not counting ears."

  
"No, I mean art medium."

  
"Oh." Velvet thought, taking a bite of her pastry. She swallowed, and said, "How about graffiti art? Two fisted tagging."

  
"Neat!" Yang wrote that down. "Number?"

  
"Considering her taste in coffee, I think she needs to have a 2. She's just at the coffee house to pay the bills."

  
"Goal?"

  
Rereading the relevant section in the rules, Velvet said, "I think 'Become CCTS Famous' fits."

  
"Cool. Blake, settled on someone?"

  
In the middle of finishing a mini-cupcake, Blake shrugged.

  
"Can't decide?"

  
Blake shook her head.

  
"What about Zerda? From _Saif: Sand Sailor_? You hated what happened to her."

  
Weiss recognized the way Blake's face lit up at injustice. It wasn't nearly as consuming as when she started talking about Faunus rights, but it was still there. "After all that, I still can't believe he went for the plant princess. Over everyone! Sure, Yulia ate people, but Janni was so steadfast and caring, and Zerda may have been a bit over-dramatic and mischievous, but she definitely wouldn't have teamed up with the evil vizier. That was just dumb." She shook her head. "But I guess the writer needed an act three twist, so sure, make the Faunus analogue a traitor. No one will mind, right?"

  
...Weiss tried to tell herself that everything was fine. She was just going to be playing a Faunus in a game with two real Faunus. One of whom could be very argumentative. And that was putting it lightly.

  
Yang ventured a question. "So, did you want to play her?"

  
"Yeah, just a little less fantastical. So instead of a fox spirit, she's just a fox Faunus. And Saif would just be her jerk of an ex who dumped her for some plucky heiress."

  
Taking a sip from her coffee, Weiss tried very hard not to think too hard about anything in particular. _Just focus on the taste._

  
"Favorite drink?"

  
"Double espresso. That one's actually canon."

  
"Right, in the aftermath of the defense of Halwa." Yang wrote down 'x2 xprs', which hurt Weiss' soul, and asked, "Medium?"

  
Blake thought for a minute, toying with the wrapper from her cupcake. "In the book, all her descriptions talk about how she moved like a dancer. So how about that?"

  
"Classical, modern - " Yang made air quotes with her fingers and the chalk " - "exotic"?"

  
"Given the rest of the book? The last." Blake was very purposely not looking at anyone.

  
"Number?"

  
"Umm, 3? She's on the spontaneous side."

  
"And Zerda's goal?"

  
"Get over her ex."

  
Looking over the board, Yang nodded, and turned back to them, going for another pastry. "Looks like a fun set. We just need to make The Cute Patron."

  
Velvet was re-reading. "Shouldn't we start with a name?"

  
"Unfortunately, patrons don't have to wear name-tags." Blake was picking out dice from the pile, grabbing black ones with gold pips.

  
Yang regained her seat, confection in hand. "We need two traits for them, and we have to decide as a group. So how about we all pick one, and vote on them? Weiss?"

  
"Papagena wants someone who's an animal lover." That much was obvious, from the opera. Weiss helped herself to a couple of brightly multicolored dice. They would fit Papagena's aesthetic.

  
Yang turned to Blake, who said, "Um, going by how much the prose made love to Saif's thews, and how much Zerda drooled over and got all touchy with him, I think she'd appreciate someone who was totally shredded."

  
"Oh, Cross wants someone who's also an artist!" Velvet looked at the pile of dice, and helped herself to a few that Yang had evidently stolen from board-games.

  
Leaning back in her chair, Yang said, "Blake took mine. How about, since the actual trait for art isn't just 'is artistic' but 'artistically gifted', how about the Cute Patron is enthusiastic, but not very good? Since animal loving and being ripped are less negotiable? Velvet, you okay with that?"

  
"That sounds fine."

  
"And what's a failing you can live with in The Cute Patron?" Yang grabbed a handful of her dice.

  
"I think clumsy is the least damaging." Weiss looked at her fellow baristas. "The others seem actively harmful towards romantic prospects."

  
Yang grinned at her. "I dunno, Weiss, 'domestically inept' seems to describe your cook-"

  
"One cake. _One_. _Cake_." Weiss glared at her friend. "Besides, I can make coffee, and clean, and-"

  
Velvet interrupted. "I think clumsy is a good idea. It would explain why they're only a mediocre artist."

  
"Yeah, they probably do mean things to the weight machines, too." Yang took a bite, and Weiss saw a bit of Zwei's fur on her sleeve, and was struck with the sudden, horrifying realization that Yang could play herself as The Cute Patron. And Zerda sounded a _lot_ like Blake - if you replaced 'messy break-up' with 'left a terrorist organization.' Weiss had the premonition that this was going to be an agonizing couple of hours.

  
And Blake was giving Yang a shy little smile, and all Weiss could do was fortify herself with more coffee - "Clumsy is fine." - and try not to let her suffering show.

  
"And now that we've got The Cute Patron..." Yang pulled out her scroll and thumbed it on, "Okay, come in. And remember, _extra_ adorable." Putting her scroll away, she gave the rest of the room a big grin. "My Minion for this game will be playing The Cute Patron."

  
Weiss lowered her coffee, trying not to stare. Yang _hadn't_ set this up so she could flirt with Blake for a couple of hours? Maybe it was going to be a better game than she thought.

  
The door opened slightly, and Nora poked her head into the room. "So I heard you had coffee?"

  
"Big cup by all the pastries."

  
It was remarkable how fast Nora could move. Comfortably ensconced in front of the baked goods, she lowered the cup, smacking her lips. Then turned to Yang. "Hey, where's the caffeine?"

  
Yang shrugged. "Ruby and Ren said you got really weird the last time you had coffee. I figured decaf was safer."

  
"Well, I _did_ miss the taste. You're forgiven, because these cupcakes are _amazing_. So, who am I playing?"

  
Spinning around in her chair, Yang tapped the board as she went by. "Clumsy, shredded, and loves animals. Everything else is up to you, so long as you're into all three of these baristas." She rolled the dice, and checked one of her sheets. "So Nora isn't going in cold, we're going to start with the three of you dealing with a giant mess in the cafe, and it is just draining your will to live. Weiss, who caused the mess?"

  
"Well, it wasn't me! Umm, maybe a pipe broke? In the ceiling, so it's pouring down."

  
"Raining inside, ew." Yang shivered for dramatic effect. "Blake, who's actually at the counter?"

  
"With a mess this big? I think all three of us are dealing with the pipe situation, and there's a bell on the counter."

  
"Velvet, uh..." Yang sped past her stumbling pause. "Has anyone rung the bell?

  
"Absolutely." She had a look of abject disgust on her face. "We're running a bucket brigade to dump water in the back, and there's this guy who keeps ringing the bell and glancing at his watch."

  
"The worst! So who's going to go deal with him?"

  
Velvet got an evil grin on. She evidently hadn't had much practice, because she still made it look cute. "I think this guy deserves the coffee Cross is going to make him." She switched to a smile so sugary it made Weiss' teeth hurt. "'And how can I help you today, sir?'"

  
Clearing her throat, Yang spoke in a flat, obnoxious tone. "'Finally! I can't believe that _this_ is the kind of service you're offering. I need a venti macchiato with an extra shot, right away. I'm late for a meeting.' Blake, Weiss, make a COFFEE roll to keep the bucket brigade going without Cross. So you want to roll under your number. Just one die, since you're not prepared, and this isn't something either of you are experts in."

  
Weiss rolled. "Seriously? I got a 6."

  
And next to her, Blake sighed. "And I got a 4."

  
"Ouch, failures. While I work out what goes wrong, Cross, what are you doing to this schmuck?"

  
Velvet made a moue. "Well, I _want_ to drag this out so he's late, but I really need to get back to the bucket brigade. I'm just going to settle for making the worst macchiato I can. But still nice- _looking_."

  
"Okay, roll... ART? I guess, even though you're making coffee? Two dice, since making coffee is your job."

  
"3 and 2. Isn't there something special for rolling your number?"

  
Weiss nodded. "COFFEE ART. You get to ask Yang a question about the situation."

  
"Ummmm. Do you think this guy will notice if I don't actually put any espresso in his drink? Or just a single shot? Ooh, or decaf shots!"

  
Wincing, Weiss asked, "Who orders a decaf espresso?"

  
"Some kind of weirdo who likes the taste of coffee." Blake started in on her last little cupcake. Which meant she wasn't paying attention when Weiss glared at her.

  
Yang steepled her fingers, leaning back in her chair." Yeah, he won't notice. Go ahead and roll again, since COFFEE ART rolls don't do anything else."

  
Velvet's dice clattered. "5 and 1. That's a-" She checked her rules. "I barely succeed, but with a complication or something."

  
"Yup. Umm, so, Papagena and Zerda, about that bucket brigade..." Yang looked back and forth between the two of them. "Who drops the bucket?" 

  
Blake raised her hand from the table. "All the wasted water is making Zerda nervous. She is from the desert, after all."

  
"It just slips out of your fingers, and goes spilling across the floor."

  
Sighing, Blake said, "At least the café doesn't have carpet. I guess that means I'm going to try to keep the spill contained, and Papagena, want to keep dumping buckets?"

  
Weiss nodded. "Surely the manager has called a plumber."

  
"Who is the manager? Is it one of you?" Yang looked between them.

  
Both Blake and Velvet pointed at Weiss.

  
Weiss turned to Yang. "I've called a plumber."

  
"And while the two of you work away... Cross, you hand Mr. late-for-a-meeting his large macchiato with an extra shot (all decaf), and he rushes out the door, already drinking it. But..."

  
Velvet leaned forward.

  
"...he stops, pokes his head back through the door and says, 'this is really good!' Then rushes off."

  
Velvet's ears drooped. "I was hoping to scare him away for good."

  
Blake patted her shoulder. "Maybe he has horrible taste in coffee."

  
Setting her fifth cupcake wrapper down, Nora said, "Maybe you're soulmates."

  
With a noise of disgust, Velvet sagged face first into the table.

  
"Hey, can I still be a girl?" Nora glanced at everyone. "The Cute Patron, I mean."

  
Yang shrugged. "Why not?"

  
Blake nodded, and Velvet gave a thumbs up without raising her head.

  
"Weiss?" Nora turned to her.

  
"I think Papagena is looking for a man." But everyone else was okay with it... so maybe Weiss should compromise on the orientation on a opera character. "...But that doesn't mean you can't be a girl. I think Papagena can struggle with her attraction to you, and what that means in light of her stated goal."

  
Leaning back in her chair, Blake was looking at her with a wry expression. "Pretty heavy for a Coffeeshop AU, Weiss."

  
"Well, I'm sorry, I haven't _read_ any. Besides, aren't you fresh out of a messy break-up? Isn't that weighty too?"

  
Blake shrugged. "Zerda bounces back quick. She's ready to love again."

  
Weiss made herself shut her mouth and not argue. It was just a game.

  
"Hey Nora. Two things." Yang pushed her plate towards Nora and the pastries. "One, could you give me a couple of small things, and two, you okay with being the plumber?"

  
"Am I? Am I!" Nora piled Yang's plate high with small-ish items, and pushed it back over. "I am so ready for this."

  
"Hey, Papagena, good news." Inspecting her plate, Yang was clearly settling on her next target. "The plumber is on her way."

  
"Wonderful." Weiss got up, and went over to look for survivors in the carnage of Nora amongst the pastries. "I suppose we're just trying to minimize the damage until she gets here. Is there a master valve for the water I can close?" She rescued the last surviving strawberry croissant, and returned to her seat. Weiss wasn't hungry yet, but she could nibble at it, and it certainly wasn't going to last in Nora's vicinity.

  
Blake was also up, probably hoping to try all of the vanilla cupcakes Yang had bought for her. Weiss pulled her chair in, making room for her to get by.

  
Having selected her next victim, Yang paused before she took a bite. "You already did. Velvet, why do you think that didn't work?"

  
Lifting her head, Velvet asked, "The pipe was in the ceiling? Maybe it belongs to the office upstairs."

  
Weiss nodded. "And you saw what happened when someone had to stop helping hold back the waters. We don't have time."

  
"But Papagena," Blake had three more cupcakes, and a smile, settling back into her seat. "We do have more people. They're called customers. Offer them a free coffee or something. Be generous."

  
That was actually a really good idea. "Fine. I find one of our regulars, and see if they can ask the office upstairs to turn their water off."

  
Yang put on a folksy accent. "Well shucks, Miss Papagena, I'd do that for you even without the free coffee."

  
"But not enough to volunteer." Weiss blanched. "I absolutely do not say that out loud."

  
Nora scoffed. "Come on, Weiss, be the sassy barista we all know you want to be!"

  
"I do not!"

  
"Listen, Weiss, Cross is clearly the evil barista, Zerda is the hot barista, and that leaves you." Nora reached out and tapped her nose. "The sassy one."

  
Weiss fumed in Nora's general direction.

  
Shaking her head, Yang cut in. "The regular is headed up to the office. Is anyone doing anything else besides damage control?" She rolled a die, and checked her sheet. At the general negatives around the table, she continued, "The good news is, no more pushy customers come in. There are one or two, but they're patient when they see what's going on. Your regular comes back down, and says that they got the office upstairs to switch their water off. But it's still not stopping. And, into this, the plumber arrives. Nora, want to do your own intro?"

  
"Yeah!" She cleared her throat. "The door opens, and time slows down as the three of you turn to stare at the woman who just walked in, carrying a tool bag. She's got inky black hair all tied up in a bun, and arms that could tear a fire hydrant open. Continue the slow-mo as long as you want."

  
Weiss nodded. "'Thank goodness-'"

  
Velvet held up a hand. "Hold on, I'm still appreciating." She closed her eyes and sighed happily. "Okay, go ahead, sorry."

  
"' _Thank goodness_ you've come.' I explain the situation as best as I can. And as fast, since water is still getting everywhere."

  
Blake elbowed Weiss. "Introduce yourself. You're ruining a perfectly good meet-cute."

  
"Introductions can wait until the waterfall in our café is turned off."

  
"If Papagena isn't going to do it, I will." Velvet looked across the table at Nora. "'Hi, I'm Cross! Do you need any help?'"

  
"'Pleasure to meet you. I'm Seelie.'" Nora looked upwards. "'Reckon I'm going to need a ladder. Do y'all have one I can borrow, so I don't need to head back out to my truck?'"

  
Velvet looked at Yang. "Do we?"

  
"Um. Suuuure, that seems reasonable. Got to change lightbulbs in the ceiling somehow."

  
"Okay, I get it." Velvet smiled at Nora. "'Let me know if you need anything else!'"

  
Weiss gestured across the table. " _She's_ the evil one?"

  
"She is trying to steal Seelie's heart. " Yang pointed out, with a grin.

  
"Before I even get a chance to talk to her." Though, with Blake leaning back in her chair, tea in hand, she didn't seem all that concerned.

  
"So, about that... Zerda, a giant crowd of people just walked in. Looks like a kids' sports team? Buuuuut... " Yang checked her tables. "You recognize one of the parents from your night job. They're a **very** good tipper."

  
"Oh." Blake looked down at her papers. "Is there a 'look drab and domestic' skill I can use? Getting recognized outside of work is how I got my _last_ boyfriend, and we all know how that went."

  
Weiss saw an opportunity, and started counting things off on her fingers. "Late to work all the time, messy hair, angry fights in the café when you were on the clock-"

  
"This is why you're not seeing anyone, Papagena. You're always in manager mode." Blake's tone was harsh, but she gave Weiss a thumbs up as she drank her tea.

  
"Well, _someone_ has to be responsible! We can't all skip work to-"

  
Yang held up a hand. "Entire soccer team to make lattes for? And Zerda, umm, I guess that would be COFFEE? One die."

  
Blake rolled. "COFFEE ART." She thought for a moment, then asked Yang, "Can I get a good tip if I flirt with them _and_ their spouse?"

  
Weiss sighed. "You are _such_ a homewrecker."

  
Grinning at Blake, Yang said, " Yeah, I think threesome fantasies are pretty common. ART, and you're an expert, so two dice."

  
Looking up from her dice, Blake asked, "So what happens if I get COFFEE ART again?"

  
"Uhhh... I guess you get to ask another question? Kids in the team keep line-jumping, so you haven't actually gotten to your good tipper yet."

  
After a moment, Blake asked, "Is there a way to hedge my bets? Come up with a fall back point, in case I fail?"

  
Velvet raised her hand. "You could tag me in, and go help Seelie."

  
Yang nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Roll."

  
"One failure, one success."

  
"Your good tipper does what they do, and their spouse is smiling and friendly with you."

  
Blake sighed. "And...?"

  
"Your good tipper has absolutely recognized you." Shrugging, Yang went on. "Which could be a good thing - good tips at both your jobs - orrrr..."

  
"...They could think it's more than transactional. Too late to go back now."

  
Yang took a drink of coffee. "By the time the soccer team is gone, Seelie's got the waterfall stopped. Nora?"

  
Nora visibly slouched into her accent. "'Now Miss Cross-'"

  
"'Just Cross is fine. Did you want a coffee?'"

  
"'Oh, sorry, Cross, I afraid I don't drink the stuff. Makes my hands shake something fierce.'" Nora followed this statement with a chug at her giant coffee cup.

  
"'Umm, we do have smoothies and stuff.' Right?" Velvet looked at her fellow baristas.

  
"Tea." Blake took a sip of hers.

  
"Only three kinds of fruit for smoothies, though. Strawberries, raspberries, and pineapple." Weiss wasn't sure if that was going to at all relevant, but it was fun to add details. It was a very different feel than Ruby's F&F game, where the goal was just to survive whatever ridiculousness Ruby threw at them.

  
Nora put her arms behind her head, showing off muscles that must be very similar to Seelie's. "'Maybe after I've got this problem all sewn up. Can I talk to your manager, the one with the-' Hey, what do all of you look like?"

  
"Papagena has multicolored feathers instead of hair, and, despite her love of sugar-rush drinks, is only just barely there."

  
"Tiny rainbow manager. Got it. Blake?" Nora started unwrapping another cupcake.

  
"Light brown hair, three bushy tails, the ability to make this apron look good." And Blake was pointedly not looking at Yang, who for some reason was grinning like a dolt.

  
"Velvet?"

  
Velvet had just pulled up the X-Hairs picture on her scroll, and showed it to Nora.

  
"What is this place called, anyway? _Café We Have Hot Baristas And Also Coffee I Guess_?"

  
Weiss desperately needed to come up with a better name for the café, and soon. Before that one stuck.

  
Snorting, Yang said, "That's a little on the nose, Nora. How about _Café Perky_?"

  
Blake threw one of her cupcake wrappers at her friend. "Why be subtle at all? _Café Boobs_."

  
At least Velvet also seemed to be suffering. " _Café Latte_?" 

  
"Or _Café Caffeine_ , if subtlety is out." Weiss had to think of better names. " _The Daily Grind, Coffee Etc, Beans & Nuts & Milks_-"

  
"Ooooh, I like the last one." Nora looked like she was enjoying a dirty joke, and Weiss tried to figure out _what_ she'd - oh.

  
Velvet perked up. "We could call it the Double Amp. No, that's a house special - a double shot of espresso with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side."

  
Yang shrugged. "I'd order it."

  
"Aaaaanyway. 'Cross, can I talk to your tiny rainbow manager? I need to get access to wherever this pipe leads.'"

  
"'Oh, sure. Just don't mention her feathers. She loves to preen.'"

  
Sighing, Weiss tried to defend Papagena's honor. "'Not all of us can roll out of bed with perfect hair, Cross. Sometimes it takes actual work.'"

  
Velvet smiled at her. "'Oh good, you're here. Papagena, Seelie, Seelie, Papagena. Let me know if you want a drink, Seelie!' And Cross goes off to do actual work." Even if the work Velvet was going to be doing was eating her croissant.

  
Grinning, Nora stuck out her hand to Weiss. "'Sorry we couldn't get introduced earlier. I know that burst pipe panic, though. You've got nice employees.'"

  
Weiss let herself be shook around by Nora's enthusiastic hand shaking, then said, "'If only they could be pleasant and sociable _while_ making drinks.'"

  
"'Well now, I wouldn't know nothing about that, Miss Papagena.' From here, Seelie is going into waaaaay too much detail about the plumbing problem. Oh, yeah-" Nora looked around the table. "Any votes on what pets Seelie has?"

  
Yang's mouth was full, but she spun around in her chair and wrote 'dogs' on the chalkboard.

  
Blake shrugged in resignation. "Why not?"

  
"Oh, is Zwei going to be back on Monday?" Velvet looked between Yang and Weiss. "I've gotten used to going on runs with him."

  
This was apparently news to Yang, who swallowed, and said, "Probably? Depends on how his vet appointment went, and if my dad wants the company."

  
If Zwei stayed on Patch, Weiss wouldn't be completely heart-broken. ...She'd just have to find an excuse to stay in Vale over the winter, so she could visit. Or just see if the Xiao Long-Rose household could take on a winter guest.

  
Nora nodded. "Dogs, then. Weiss, am I boring Papagena to tears?"

  
"Not... exactly, but Papagena is interrupting to ask, 'Can you fix it?'"

  
"'Well sure. Should only take an hour or two. Three, if I have to go get parts.'

  
"Papagena asks you to expedite as much as possible, and to come find her if you want a drink or pastry."

  
Velvet frowned at Weiss, "Hey, no fair. That was my idea."

  
Stretching, Nora said, "Yeah, and Cross got more info. Don't worry, Papagena's coming off as very professional and uptight."

  
"Hey!" It was bad enough that everyone thought she was an ice queen in real life. Getting that in-game too, when she was _trying_ to be friendly...

  
Blake patted her arm. "Don't worry about it, Weiss. We're just the quirky side-characters." Everyone turned to stare at her. "What? It's obvious. Papagena is a manager, and they never get romance. And Zerda is already charging towards another ill-conceived relationship, even if she doesn't admit it. All that's left is an act of Cross and Seelie dancing around asking each other out, and a resolution where they're oh so happy, and oh, yeah, Zerda's dating another one of her customers, and Papagena's joined a dating site."

  
Yang put both her hands on the table. "Ah, but there are two things you haven't considered, my too-genre-savvy player."

  
Blake gave Yang a look that nearly sweetened Weiss' coffee. "Oh?"

  
"First, my near complete ignorance of the genre!" Odd thing to brag about, but Yang was making a point. "And two, I have random tables!" She brandished one of her sheets. "The dice gods look upon your predictions and laugh!" Rolling, she cross-referenced her sheets.

  
"Yang, please tell me those tables are actually for this game."

  
"Well, as tempted as I was to steal some of Jaune's **TABARZIN 20,000** tables..." Yang grinned at Blake. "Zerda, a customer comes in and demands you do something about 'that disgraceful display outside.'"

  
"I look around them and try to see what's going on outside."

  
Yang looked around the table. "Anyone?"

  
It slipped out before Weiss could help herself. "People kissing."

  
Nora snorted. "Scandalous. Seelie's heading off to deal with plumbing adventures." And Nora continued dealing with the problem of too many pastries.

  
Sighing, Velvet said, "I bet this is just about a Faunus and human kissing."

  
Blake groaned. "So they come inside the all-Faunus café to complain about it? I wish I could say I've heard dumber."

  
"You know how some people get. They're fine if 'we keep to our own kind', but mixed relationships make them angry, and they assume we're going to be angry about them too."

  
Shaking her head, Blake took another drink.

  
From her face, Yang hadn't quite expected this to have gone the direction it had. "So, um. What are you doing, Zerda?"

  
"Resisting the urge to call Yulia and have her eat this person's spleen." Blake set her cup down. "I think I'm going to play dumb. See if this customer is actually going to lead me outside and point fingers - in which case I will call Yulia - or if they're just want me to do their dirty work."

  
"Um, ART. You're an expert."

  
"COFFEE ART."

  
"Again?" Yang looked at her dice, as if they'd been the ones rolling. "I wasn't expecting it to come up this often."

  
Blake shrugged. "Well, I was rolling for an answer to a question anyway."

  
"They want you to enforce their morals without actually having to get into an actual confrontation."

  
"Well in that case, I'm just going to tell them off loudly, attracting everyone else's attention."

  
Yang rolled a die, but if Weiss could tell at all, it was more for the physical stimulation than actually determining anything. Ruby did that when they played F&F sometimes. It gave her an excuse to do what she was going to do anyway. Then again, the Fortress Master chapters did say that 'when in doubt, roll a die, examine it, and do what your guts says,' so it wasn't like Ruby or Yang were really _breaking_ the rules. "Yeah, they're going to slink away red-faced."

  
Weiss help up a hand to catch Yang's attention. "Papagena is going to go offer the couple a free drink or pastry or something, on the basis of being cute."

  
Velvet laughed. "That would be amazing. There you are, just kissing your girlfriend, and a shop owner offers you free food for it."

  
Fighting her blush, Weiss said, "I'm sure they have to put up with a lot. I'm just trying to even the scales. Besides, I don't think I'm the owner."

  
Yang shook her head. "Nah, just the week manager. The owner works weekends. How are you justifying this on your expenditures sheet, though?"

  
Weiss barely thought about it. "Public relations. We try to cultivate a particular atmosphere, they embodied it, we encourage them with free stuff, and they'll tell their friends about it, and come back."

  
"Seems legit." Which was a lot less scrutiny than Weiss was expecting. "I think we're going to skip ahead to Seelie finishing the plumbing. Cross, Zerda, you're at the counter when she comes back."

  
"Papagena is doing paperwork about the plumbing and replacing furnishings and all that." Weiss figured she may as well take herself out of the scene for the moment.

  
Nora got into her accent, thumping her chest a few times. "'Ladies, problem's all sorted. That was one determined muskrat.'"

  
Yang snorted, but didn't say anything.

  
Smiling at Nora, Velvet asked, "'Did you want a smoothie? I'm just happy it isn't raining inside any more.'"

  
"'Oh sure, that would be-'" Nora screwed up her face, trying to find an appropriate idiom. "Um, I can't think of anything folksy."

  
Yang's face lit up. "'That would really butter my scone.'"

  
Not to be outdone, Blake leapt in with another. "'Sweeten my tea.'"

  
"'Trim my hedge.'"

  
"'Groom my puppy.'"

  
"'Arrange my flowers.'"

  
"Bolster my bouquet.'"

  
Weiss gave up and put her head on the desk. So much for avoiding flirting between the two of them.

  
Nora, somehow, saved her. Accent back in place, she just said to Velvet, "'Yup, a smoothie would hit the spot right now.'"

  
"'Okay!'" Velvet said brightly.

  
"'So I haven't met your other friend?'" Nora, at least, was determined to play her part. And this made her the voice of sense and reason, and the world was in chaos. Reality was untangling.

  
"'Oh, uh, Zerda, this is Seelie. Seelie, Zerda. Umm, Zerda's a really good dancer. You should come see her some time.'"

  
"'Cross!'"

  
"Sorry Blake, I don't really know anything else about Zerda, and I didn't want to commit you to anything. Um, Yang, can we back up a second?"

  
"It's fine, Velvet." Weiss lifted her head a bit to see Blake pat Velvet's shoulder. "That was in character. I think the idea of Cross coming to watch Zerda dance is entertaining." Even if Blake was starting to blush, and Velvet was picking up on it and also starting to blush - Weiss sat up and took a drink of her coffee. Blushing hour had arrived again. She may as well get used to it.

  
Nora, at least, wasn't blushing. "'You a ballet dancer, Zerda? Or that new-fangled modern interpretative stuff?'" No, she was just going to make everyone else blush for her.

  
"'Not really. It pays better than either of those.'"

  
"'Oh. Well, no shame in working for money. Got to pay the bills, right?'"

  
Blake nodded. "'It's actually my passion job. But the hours are bad, so I work here for day-to-day stuff. Cross, too. You should see the art she does.'"

  
"'Oh?'" Nora turned to Velvet. "'What do you do?'"

  
"'Tagging. I don't think I have any that haven't been painted over at the moment, though.'"

  
"'I keep telling Papagena that she should just let you go crazy on the walls of the café.'" Blake chipped in.

  
"'I don't know, the impermanence is an important aspect of the artistic expression-'" Velvet cut herself off, looking over at Nora. "Cross and Zerda have obviously had this conversation a lot, and Cross is going to hand Seelie her smoothie."

  
Nora took her cue. "'Say, I'd love to sit listen to y'all for hours but I'm on the clock. There's some kind of disaster over at Buridan, Buridan & Desire, and I've got to get a move on.'"

  
"'Feel free to come in when we don't have a plumbing disaster.' And Zerda's going to throw her best um, 'I want you to bench-press me' look." And _of course_ Blake couldn't look at Yang when she said that. 

  
"'I'll have to bring my dogs. And get another one of these, I reckon. Great work, Cross.' And Seelie's going to head out." 

  
Velvet just closed her eyes and sighed. "Cross is going to wait for Seelie to get out the door and just say to Zerda, 'I just want to just... stare at her when she works-out. Gods.'"

  
"'Right?! Just imagine her stripped down to a t-shirt, soaking wet, cranking a pipe shut bare-handed...'" Blake made good on her fantasizing by also closing her eyes, and the two of them let out a contented sigh.

  
Weiss rolled her eyes. If only because she _seriously_ doubted Blake was imagining _Seelie_ in her fantasy. Especially with Yang leaning back in her chair, arms behind her head, a happy smile on her face.

  
When it became evident that Blake and Velvet were going to _stay_ like that, and Yang was just going to watch Blake, and Nora was just going to keep working on her food and drink, Weiss asked, "So what happens next?"

  
That got Yang moving, at least. She rolled, checked her tables, and said, "It's a few days later, in the late afternoon. No one is really in the shop, and there's something weird outside."

  
Velvet opened her eyes. "What's going on?"

  
"Um, some kind of demonstration?" Yang looked down at her tables again. "Seriously? Okay, the tables literally say that it's a Faunus Rights Demonstration, but we don't have to go with that if we don't want to. I think whoever wrote this had different definitions of 'low-grade fluff'."

  
Blake shrugged. "Not all of them end in fistfights and tear gas. They're probably just protesting a business with discriminatory practices nearby."

  
Yang gave her an appraising look. "Did you want to go with it, then?"

  
"Sure. Velvet, Weiss?"

  
Weiss was happy to be included, but she was definitely going to let Velvet respond first.

  
"They seem like Cross' kind of people. And I bet we can talk Papagena into offering them water, or something."

  
Nodding, Weiss added. "We do seem to be the nice, local, 'smash the system' coffee house."

  
Blake said, "I mean, the Faunus Rights Revolutionary Council was formed in a coffeehouse, so it's not unprecedented. It would explain why no one's in the café - they're all busy protesting."

  
"So, um, I guess when you're waiting outside for customers to come inside, you see Seelie and her dogs coming down the street. Nora?"

  
"Okay, so Seelie has two dogs, and they look kind of like Zwei, except not toy sized."

  
Yang shook her head. "And this is why Seelie doesn't have any hobbies, because those things are bred to pull a sled for hours. I know Ruby goes on about how lazy Zwei is, but soooo much better than the alternative."

  
Grinning, Nora said. "This is how Seelie's so shredded, she just plays tug of war with her dogs for hours every day."

  
Weiss nodded. "Seems probable. Papagena is going to see Seelie, and the puppies, and maybe go a little crazy over how beautiful they are."

  
Blake gave her a sidelong look. "I wonder what _that_ could possibly sound like."

  
"Oh shush. You like Zwei too." Blake absolutely did, even if she was sighing and rolling her eyes. Zwei wasn't unlikable. It was a physical impossibility, with how clever he was, and how cute his wittle snoot was, and how he was also so friendly and lovable, and how he could always tell if you were down and needed some licks and snuggles and-

  
Weiss sighed. She was definitely experiencing Zwei withdrawal, and she wished the weekend would hurry up and end so she could have her friend back. ...And the start of the Vytal tournament would also settle her nerves. The anticipation was driving her slowly mad.

  
She tuned back in to listen to Nora talk about Seelie's dogs more. "'-And the male is Alfi and the female is Kiva, and they just desperately needed to take me on a ten mile run today. Y'all don't seem too busy.'"

  
Velvet pointed out the window. Not because there was anything there, she'd just arbitrarily decided that's where the protests were. "'Our regular crowd is occupied. Were you joking about the run?'"

  
"'Nah, I do this every day. Reckon I've seen most of the city on foot, and a good bit of the surrounding countryside.'"

  
"'I mostly just run when I'm being chased.'"

  
Nora snorted. "'That'll do for motivation. Adoring crowds?'"

  
Yang laughed. "Smooth, Nora."

  
"'Cops, usually.'"

  
Shaking her head, Blake said, "Cops are terrible at chases. They give up after two, three blocks, tops. You want an actual chase, you need to get a Huntress after you."

  
"Um, question." Velvet leaned back in her chair, coffee in hand. "Is that Blake talking, or Zerda? Because I'm not actually sure."

  
"Oh, sorry." Blake started unwrapping another cupcake. "That was me, Blake. Zerda doesn't get chased by cops. Just drooled over."

  
Weiss decided that what this conversation needed was less in-character/out-of-character confusion, and more discussion of dogs. "'Zerda, you should groom dogs. I hear it's a much nicer atmosphere to be drooled on. Even if the drool is literal.'"

  
"'Yeah, but the tips aren't as good.'"

  
There was just no convincing some people. "'Seelie, if you ever need a dog sitter, I'm always in town. I'm not sure I can handle a ten mile run, but I can try.'"

  
"'Mighty appreciative, Miss Papagena. I usually take these two with me if I leave town, though.'"

  
Velvet jumped back in. "'Do you go camping?'"

  
"Open air music festivals and that sort. I just bum around and play, and these two collect tips.'"

  
Weiss mimed giving a big dog ruff scratches. "'And I bet they're just _great_ at it.'"

  
Pausing in her cupcake, Blake asked, "'What do you play?'"

  
Nora's grin, somehow, managed to get bigger. "'Oh, I just pluck a banjo. These two earn most of the tips, I'll be honest.'"

  
Weiss really wasn't sure why a swell of emotions crossed Yang's face, but it was gone as soon as she noticed it. And Velvet was dashing back into the flirt-for-all again. "'The café has a patrons music night every month. I'd love to hear you.'"

  
"'Well, you just get back to me with a date, and I'll turn up. Don't know how much good I'll be without my buskers, though.'"

  
"'You can always bring them.'" Weiss wasn't sure if there were actually any cafés like this, but if cat cafés existed... "'We don't actually have a policy against dogs, so long as they're well-behaved.'" She elected to take a calculated risk, and jostled Blake with her elbow. "'Zerda has knocked enough things over with _her_ tails.'"

  
Blake gave her a wry look, but before she could say anything, Nora responded. "'Oh, they're well-behaved, but that just means I won't be able to use them as an excuse for knocking over an entire table. Y'all have only seen me in the middle of one of y'all's disasters - I cause those manner of things all day. I got banned from a couple gyms for reckonings about their weight machines.'"

  
Snorting, Yang said, "Even your fictional characters scare the weights, Nora."

  
"Hey, I'm not actually _banned_ from the Beacon gym. They just told me that they would _prefer_ if I did isometric exercises. On the green."

  
"Did you know, if I'm ever having trouble with a machine, I just whisper your name, and they _instantly_ start behaving?"

  
"Ha!"

  
Weiss tried to think of something to say, to get them back to their very important coffee house flirtings. "'The next patron's night is in thirteen days. I'm going to miss it, though, because I've got a show.'"

  
Nora turned her attention back to play, and her accent back on. "'Why Miss Papagena, I didn't know you were an artsy type too.'"

  
"'I mean, I'm not really. I'm not an actor, or an artist, really, I just stage manage. It's just like this job, but I've got temperamental artists to work with, instead of these two.'" Weiss looked at her friends. "'Actually, no, it is exactly like this job.'"

  
Blake just rolled her eyes, but Velvet managed a, "'Hey!'"

  
"'What show?'" Nora asked.

  
Weiss blanked. She couldn't say _Die Zauberflöte_ , that was the one Papagena the character was _from_. That wouldn't make any sense at all. Not that anyone would recognize it; apparently no one else knew opera. But... she had a sudden idea. "'It's actually not really a _show_ , it's a cantata.'" Blank looks greeted her. She definitely had to work on everyone's classical music education. "'But even for a cantata, it's pretty odd. It's essentially a one-act comic opera.'"

  
"'Oh.'" Nora had recovered first. "'So it's funny?'"

  
"'Well, yes. Not that regular operas can't be funny. Even serious operas typically have a comedic character, like-'" Weiss hauled herself up again. She couldn't say 'like Papageno,' because Papagena's opera husband didn't exist in this world. She just pushed on. "'But this one is pretty absurd on its premise. It's about a woman who is addicted to coffee.'" Weiss unrolled her scroll, and pulled up a video of the song she knew, and stopped before starting the video. Later. "'I'll have to make recordings and play them at the café.'" She glanced at the time before putting her scroll away. "And I hate to say this, but we should probably start wrapping up. We've got practice pretty soon."

  
Everyone pulled out their scrolls to check the time.

  
Yang hefted another mini pastry, and said, "Seelie, your dogs are starting to get antsy again."

  
"'Well, the bosses say I need to head out, but I'll see you three around. At patron night, if not sooner.'"

  
Velvet smiled. "'Okay, Seelie. Stop for longer next time, give me time to actually make your smoothie.'"

  
"'Will do, Miss-. Cross.'" Nora waved across the table at Velvet. "Hey Yang, can I just take one of these pastry boxes? Ren's got to try some of this."

  
"Sure." Yang pushed her plate, still half-laden, back towards Nora. "I should be done anyway, since Weiss is going to make me run around."

  
"Your sister told me to make sure you don't slack off."

  
"And I told her not to eat junk food all weekend. So I'm going to take both of our advices-" Yang screwed up her face. "Advices? Whatever." she turned to Velvet. "Thanks for getting coffee, Velvet."

  
"Sure! Thanks for all the pastries! They were great."

  
"I know it's not F&F or X-Hairs, but did you have fun your first time role-playing?"

  
"Yeah. We didn't do as much rolling as I expected."

  
Yang shrugged. "Like I said, this isn't really my system. And the rules say to only roll when it matters, and coffee shop AUs are all about the fluff, so..."

  
"I thought it went fine." Blake shuffled her papers together, and finished her tea. "I'd come back to these characters."

  
Nodding, Yang looked around the table. "Um, did we want to do some kind of resolution, or is everyone else content to just let their characters hang around?"

  
Nora shrugged. "I'm happy to have Seelie stuck as the centerpiece of a barista harem."

  
Velvet said, "I'm fine with how things ended. If I really want a resolution, I'll just pretend that what Blake said earlier happened."

  
"Actually, Velvet, are you doing anything? Weiss has stolen my partner time with Yang, and I could use a run."

  
"Sure! I can get your opinions on my new project."

  
All in all, Weiss decided, as everyone finished getting packed up, not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Probably a bit low-energy for Ruby's taste, though. It hadn't degenerated into Blake and Yang flirting the entire time, like she'd been afraid it would. But who could blame her, after what they'd pulled earlier?

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I would be remiss in not actually linking [COFFEE & ART](https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/S1mgYHstg8), the [LASERS & FEELINGS](http://www.onesevendesign.com/laserfeelings/) hack I wrote for this fic. Yang's got more extensive random tables than are actually present in that version, but it's enough to get you started. Like all LASERS & FEELINGS games, I suggest finding players who are familiar with, and fans of, the genre.
> 
> Weiss went pretty heavy on her opera love, so a few video links. [Papagena's duet that she's so fond of.](https://youtu.be/ZZo0klTdVGg?t=279) [The actual love song to coffee from the coffee cantata.](https://youtu.be/f3-JYYOnscQ) [And the complete cantata, if you've got half an hour to listen to Bach.](https://youtu.be/H5Ocydot-vA)


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